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What happens silently across the video screen is jarring — a courthouse prisoner security officer appears to slam a shackled prisoner into a cell wall.

For inmate Timothy Van Dusen, 25, it meant a bloody mouth, two chipped teeth and a trip to the hospital after his court appearance in the London courthouse on May 14, 2013.

For Craig Pickering, 41, the former security officer, it meant losing his job and facing a criminal charge of assault causing bodily harm.

Pickering’s trial began Thursday where the main issue is if he used excessive force when he placed Van Dusen in the cell.

What became clear as the day went on is though the video caught the visual experience of what happened in the courthouse cell block, it didn’t catch any of the sound that could paint a different picture.

Ontario Court Justice Lloyd Dean heard from officers who were with Pickering and Van Dusen that morning and described how Van Dusen was agitated, unco-operative and combative while at the courthouse.

He also heard about Van Dusen, a frequent visitor to the courthouse cell block, known mostly for his bad behaviour while in custody, including activating the sprinkler system in the cell block in April 2013 hoping to get a quick trip back to the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre.

Before the confrontation with Pickering and other guards, Van Dusen had become agitated after a brief court appearance where he found out he had two more charges to face along with mischief for the sprinkler incident.

Officers testified Van Dusen threatened to pull the fire alarms again and was abusive while being taken back to cells. A decision was made to put him in a “dry cell” — a cement cell without water or a bed — and to place him in shackles.

London police cadet Peter Kneale said Van Dusen was yelling and resistant while being restrained. And he seemed to reach for Pickering after he was shackled and may have been trying to grab the keys for the cuffs.

Van Dusen wouldn’t go into the cell and tensed up. Kneale said Pickering grabbed him by both arms and pushed him inside, hitting his face against the wall.

Van Dusen, who is serving a sentence in Milton, testified and admitted he has “problems with police services all over Ontario.”

He said he was only agitated in court that day and denied being combative with the officers or resisting. He said when Pickering put him in the cell “it felt like Superman was behind me.”

Van Dusen remained calm during questioning by the Crown, but grew more combative during cross-examination by defence lawyer Glen Donald who reviewed some of Van Dusen’s extensive record. It includes convictions for assault, sexual assault, death threats against a correctional officer, criminal harassment, resisting arrest, intimidation, disarming a police officer and obstructing justice.

Van Dusen agreed he had sent letters to several London Crowns suggesting he get a reduced sentence for his testimony against Pickering.

He claimed he tried to get the charge withdrawn against Pickering because “snitches get stitches and end up in ditches.”

Donald suggested it was because Van Dusen knew he was partially responsible for what happened to him when he hit the cell wall.